“Just Do It!”

By Susan Goodsell - Jun 29 , 2009

Nike’s motto of “Just Do It!” caused a stampede of slightly pudgy men and women to lace up new cross-trainers, snap the leash on the dog, and hit the pavement, sometimes for the very first time.

While I have no hard statistics available, I would love to know how many of these sweaty athlete wannabes left their new Nikes in the closet, giving up before the shiny white leather had a chance to get broken in.

Why? Because while “Just do it!” is a great motivational motto, ACTUALLY just doing it IS DIFFICULT! And boy, do we ever have intimate knowledge of that concept in the book industry!

A recent article I wrote for Beneath the Cover titled, “What Would You Attempt To Do If…?“, resonated with numerous writers, from aspiring authors who have yet to be published on up to published authors wanting to kick it up a notch. Frankly, I was surprised at the nerves touched. The messages and e-mails I received overwhelmingly expressed the theme of, “Thanks for the motivation; I now know I need to ‘Just Do It!’”

Nike’s campaign combined desire, determination, and passion—–sound familiar as a writer? Do you sometimes feel as if “Just Do It!” should be tattooed on your forehead, or perhaps less drastically, on a permanent Post-It note on your computer?

To help give you a double-espresso shot of motivation this week, here are some tips which I have personally found helpful:

1. Carolyn See, author of Making a Literary Life: Advice for Writers and Other Dreamers recommends a strategy that you write a thousand words a day – or do two hours of revision – five days a week “for the rest of your life.” This habit will get you in the mindset that your writing is a job. In this book, which I keep close at hand, Carolyn has other great tips and presents them in a witty and engaging way.

2. Get excited about your future in the book industry: It is the springboard for making it happen. On your bathroom mirror, post a list of motivational quotations that are meaningful to you. Here are a few that bring a smile to my face:

Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. —–William Wordsworth

When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing. —–Enrique Jardiel Poncela

Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead. —–Gene Fowler

3. For self-motivation, a great strategy is to type up a list titled “I am an author and it’s great because…”

— “I see my name in print on my weekly column.”

— “I have proved my high school English teacher wrong when she said I should stick to woodshop.”

— “My mom bought 47 copies of my first book & gave them to all her friends and neighbors.”

— “I finally got rid of the minivan with the juice box stains on the seats and bought the Maserati GranTurismo S I always wanted.” (If you’re gonna dream, dream big!)

4. Subscribe to a service that provides motivational quotations for instant motivation in your inbox every day. I love QuoteActions because they offer not only a quotation, but also an action item for you to take every day. An example:

“It’s easy to get people’s attention; what counts is getting their interest.” -Civil Rights Activist, Philip Randolph

Your action for today is to see if you can capture someone’s interest.

For the record, Nike’s name, from the Greek Νίκη, comes from the Greek goddess of Victory. I suggest you tap into your inner author goddess – don’t delay any longer. Picture yourself atop the acropolis in flowing white robe with gold braid, olive branch of victory on your head, holding—not a staff, but—your first published book!

Just do it!

No, really, I mean right now…

What are you doing still sitting here reading, thinking about it?

Seriously! Go! And let your next e-mail to susan@bni.com or comment posted at Beneath the Cover be a success story about what you got published!
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Susan M. Goodsell is a referral marketing professional, trainer, and author, based in Southern California. She is Executive Director and owner of BNI Riverside & San Bernardino Counties, CA. Her focus is helping entrepreneurs and business owners reach higher levels of success through word-of-mouth marketing.